Distibution and Abundance of Demersal Fishes from Beam
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CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE SCIENCE SERIES TECHNICAL REPORT Number 120 Distribution and relative abundance of demersal fishes from beam trawl surveys in the Irish Sea (ICES division VIIa) 1993-2001 M. Parker-Humphreys LOWESTOFT 2004 1 This report should be cited as: Distribution and relative abundance of demersal fishes from beam trawl surveys in the Irish Sea (ICES Division VIIa) 1993-2001. Sci. Ser. Tech Rep., CEFAS Lowestoft, 120: 68pp. © Crown copyright, 2004 Requests for reproduction of material contained within this report should be addressed to CEFAS 2 CONTENTS ........................................................................................Page 1. Irish Sea Fisheries ......................................................................................................................... 5 2. History of the survey .....................................................................................................................5 3. Current survey objectives .............................................................................................................5 4. Survey methods .............................................................................................................................5 5. Physical characteristics of the area ...........................................................................................10 5.1 Depth ...................................................................................................................................10 5.2 Circulation ............................................................................................................................11 5.3 Fronts ...................................................................................................................................11 5.4 Temperature ........................................................................................................................11 5.5 Salinity .................................................................................................................................12 5.6 Sediment type ......................................................................................................................12 6. Species recorded by the survey .................................................................................................12 7. Species distributions ...................................................................................................................16 8. Summary .......................................................................................................................................16 9. Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................................16 10. References ...................................................................................................................................16 Species data Flatfish Plaice ...................................................................................................................................18 Sole ......................................................................................................................................22 Brill .......................................................................................................................................26 Dab ......................................................................................................................................27 Flounder ...............................................................................................................................28 Lemon sole ..........................................................................................................................29 Scaldfish ..............................................................................................................................30 Solenette ..............................................................................................................................31 Thickback sole .....................................................................................................................32 Turbot ...................................................................................................................................33 Witch ....................................................................................................................................34 Gadoids Bib ........................................................................................................................................36 Cod ......................................................................................................................................37 Haddock ...............................................................................................................................38 Hake .....................................................................................................................................39 Norway pout .........................................................................................................................40 Poor cod ...............................................................................................................................41 Whiting .................................................................................................................................42 continued:/ 3 Elasmobranchs Greater spotted dogfish .......................................................................................................44 Lesser spotted dogfish .........................................................................................................45 Ray, blonde ..........................................................................................................................46 Ray, cuckoo .........................................................................................................................47 Ray, spotted .........................................................................................................................48 Ray, thornback .....................................................................................................................49 Starry smoothhound .............................................................................................................50 Other fish species Anglerfish .............................................................................................................................52 Bullrout .................................................................................................................................53 Dragonet, common ..............................................................................................................54 Dragonet, reticulated ............................................................................................................55 Dragonet, spotted ................................................................................................................56 Gurnard, grey .......................................................................................................................57 Gurnard, red .........................................................................................................................58 Gurnard, tub .........................................................................................................................59 John Dory .............................................................................................................................60 Pogge ...................................................................................................................................61 Red mullet ............................................................................................................................62 Weever, greater ...................................................................................................................63 Weever, lesser .....................................................................................................................64 Invertebrate species Edible crab ...........................................................................................................................66 Lobster .................................................................................................................................67 Norway lobster .....................................................................................................................68 4 1. IRISH SEA FISHERIES of the Seas) Assessment Working Groups. See www. ices.dk for more information. ICES division VIIa supports important fisheries for demersal and pelagic finfish and shellfish, and the main The CEFAS near-west groundfish survey has taken fisheries involve otter, beam and Nephrops trawlers. place every autumn since 1988, and covers the Irish Sea (ICES division VIIa), Bristol Channel (VIIf) and parts Otter trawlers target cod, haddock, whiting and plaice, of the Celtic Sea (VIIg). Equivalent spring surveys were although important by-catch species include anglerfish, also conducted between 1993 and 1998. The survey was hake, sole and skates and rays. Since the early 1980s initially designed to provide abundance indices for pre- there has been a development of semi-pelagic gear, recruit (1 and 2 year old) plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) which again targets cod, whiting